WKYT's Sam Dick recovering from prostate cancer surgery

There is good news to report on WKYT anchor Sam Dick and his battle with prostate cancer. Surgery to remove Sam's prostate went successfully, according to family members.

The surgeon indicated that Sam’s lymph nodes look good and the cancer does not appear to have spread, according to Sam’s wife Noelle who shared the good news with WKYT’s staff this morning.

In November, Sam announced publicly that we had been diagnosed with the same disease that took his father’s life this summer.

“We found something," Sam said are three simple words that were life-changing for him.

"I was stunned," says Sam. "Within days of my recent diagnosis, I decided to make it public, so that I might spread the word about early detection, and the need to have annual prostate exams."

Sam is an avid athlete, training nearly every day for triathlons. He considers himself very healthy, and at 54 years old, he says he probably averages only one or two sick days a year.

Sam's wife, Noelle Dick, says "You're talking about someone who on average during the season, is working 2 and 3 hours, working out, biking, running, swimming, and loves it." She adds, "He's in the best shape he's ever been in."

Sam's problem is not his fitness. He can control that aspect of his life, but he has no say in his family history or his age. His father, David Dick, discovered he had prostate cancer at age 63. Because of that, Sam says, his dad pushed him to have annual prostate exams."He wanted to make absolutely sure that you knew how important it was," stresses Sam, "and it's not something to put off."

Sam's father passed away last July after a 17 year fight against prostate cancer. A family history of the disease, especially involving a father or brother, makes it more likely one will get it. After the age of 50, it's estimated one out of every four men will get prostate cancer. Also, African-American men have a higher chance of getting the disease.

In his late forties, Sam started seeing Lexington urologist, Dr. Fred Hadley, for annual prostate exams. During each visit he took blood to measure what is called a "PSA" level. PSA is a substance made by the prostate gland. A PSA number below 3 is considered normal for someone Sam's age.

But for Sam, the level jumped from 2.8 to 4.9 in one year. His doctor was concerned, telling him a higher PSA does not mean cancer, but the sudden jump and higher number mean there's a greater chance of finding cancer.

"I had no symptoms," Sam explains, "But the jump in my PSA was a red flag." Next, Dr. Hadley did a biopsy and took tiny tissue samples from his prostate. He explained it was the only sure way to know if he had cancer. The result confirmed cancer cells in one of 12 biopsy specimens.

But there is hope. Dr. Hadley believes the cancer is curable because it was noticed at a very early stage.

"If the prostate cancer is just in the prostate gland itself," says Dr. Hadley, "and you treat the prostate, either with surgical removal or radiation, you've eliminated the disease entirely."

Sam decided to have surgery and remove his prostate. The decision means he will be off air from WKYT through December 27.

To spread the word about early detection, there is a special section on wkyt.com on prostate cancer; which includes links to a blog, a Facebook page, facts about the disease, and places to get more information.

Ivanhoe Medical Breakthroughs

Link Between Maternal Age, Emergency DeliveryAug. 8, 2014 — An increased risk of emergency operative delivery is linked with increasing maternal age, suggests a new study. The study used a sample of 169,583 low risk, first-time mothers in Norway, to examine ...

Link Between Vitamin D, Dementia Risk ConfirmedAug. 6, 2014 — Vitamin D deficiency is associated with a substantially increased risk of dementia and Alzheimer's disease in older people, according to the most robust study of its kind ever conducted. An ...

Online Public Information File

Viewers with disabilities can get assistance accessing this station's FCC Public Inspection File by contacting the station with the information listed below. Questions or concerns relating to the accessibility of the FCC's online public file system should be directed to the FCC at 888-225-5322, 888-835-5322 (TTY), or fccinfo@fcc.gov.